Argentine gov't may dismiss navy head for missing sub

The Argentine Navy has described the "hope and hopelessness" in the ongoing hunt for the missing ARA San Juan submarine, which vanished 10 days ago along with all 44 crew on board.

Argentine Navy officials embrace inside the Mar de Plata Naval Base after Argentina's Navy announced that a sound detected during the search for the missing ARA San Juan submarine is consistent with that of an explosion, in Mar de Plata, Argentina on November 23.

The submarine was sailing from the extreme southern port of Ushuaia to the coastal city of Mar del Plata.

Citing respect for the families of the missing crew members, Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told a press conference Saturday that officials would not speculate on their fate.

More than a dozen airplanes and ships have been participating in the multinational search across an area of some 480,000 square kilometres, which is roughly the size of Spain.

A handful of relatives held out hope that at least some of the sailors aboard the 34-year-old submarine, which had recently been retrofitted, could be found alive. "The submarine doesn't sail if that's not done".

Experts say the sub would begin to break-up once below depths of around 600 meters due to the water pressure.

"The disappearance and current search of the ARA San Juan submarine has touched all Argentines".

There is widespread speculation President Mauricio Macri has already chose to dismiss Navy chief Admiral Marcelo Srur but an announcement would not be made until until the submarine is found. It was originally scheduled to arrive Monday at a navy base there.

"Until we have the complete information, we do not have to look for the guilty, to look for those responsible".

The fury of the crew's relatives was aimed more at the navy, which they say has kept them in the dark about the missing vessel, than at President Mauricio Macri.

Magistrate Marta Yanez has already begun preliminary investigations into the disaster. "The black box is the submarine", and it would have to be recovered before the causes of the explosion could be known.

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